Recapturing Marilyn

The 1950s and '60s are set for another fashion moment. The specific era - the 10 years which span the middle of the 1950s and the first half of the 60s, moments before mini-skirts and Vidal Sassoon haircuts transformed fashion - was given a fresh veneer of glamour when Mad Men hit our screens three years ago.

Then, this summer, 50s fashion was given another boost by BBC2's The Hour, in which Ramola Garai and Oona Chaplin contrived to make pencil skirts, prim blouses and demure shirt dresses look deliciously covetable.

Now, thanks to the hit US TV series Pan Am, which arrived on BBC2 this week, and the Marilyn Monroe bio-pic My Week With Marilyn, which opens here on November 25, the fashion spotlight is again shining on that era, ramping up the retro wave still further.

Michelle Williams, in the title role, wears the kind of iconic pieces that Monroe was famous for: insouciantly draped trench coat, Capri pants, pointed courts, curvy dresses and those sunglasses which perfectly capture the glamour of a pre-geometric-hair era.

If this is a period you wish to embrace, be aware that the clothes look fabulous as retro allusions in current collections and as envisioned by the costume departments at the production companies; authentic vintage pieces not so much. This is because, as anyone who has ever shopped for vintage will know, skirts and jackets in particular, and dresses and blouses unless they are in sinuous, soft fabrics, are often unflatteringly clunky, with seams and darts in places today's designers would never put them, and stiff fabrics that don't hang well on the body.

Luckily, you don't have to hunt for your 50s and 60s pieces in vintage shops, because, thanks to the retro wave kick-started by Mad Men, the shops are already full of pieces that allow us to replicate the glamour of the era.

Banana Republic, which actually created a Mad Men Collection for autumn - don't bother looking, it has sold out - remains the go-to store for good-quality, well-priced trench coats. This season's version is perfect for draping Monroe style (see right), while other good trenches include Hobbs at £259, and Viyella (£249).

If you want something warmer (and more like the shot, left), Jaeger has a wrap camel baby with 50s bracelet sleeves, while MaxMara, of course, has a wrap silk-wool at £655 and a nude cashmere with fur trim (£2,128 at Matches).

Jane & Marilyn has an entire range of curvy, retro frocks including one with wide collar, bracelet sleeves and cinched waist in silk at £845. Pamela Shiffer in Primrose Hill has a straight 50s frock, by Katya Wildman while at Fenwick, W1, retro pieces include Marilyn Moore's silk print dress with nipped waist and rolled neckline (£249), a fitted, black lace dress with bracelet sleeve (£279) and a cream angora, boat-neck jumper with diamante buttons down the back (£225), both by By Malene Birger.